Director of Payments

Foundation Software•Strongsville, OH

About The Position

The Director of Payments is responsible for the overall strategy, operational execution, and performance of the Foundation Pay product line across the customer journey, including underwriting, onboarding, implementation, support, and account management. The role ensures an efficient, seamless, customer-focused experience and develops the operational structure needed to support current demand and future growth. Working with executive leaders, the Director develops and executes Foundation Pay strategy, aligning teams, processes, and resources to support scalability, retention, operational excellence, and product growth. The role partners with Development, Education, Sales, Support, and other operational teams to improve processes and product functionality, strengthen customer education, and deliver consistent support throughout the customer relationship. The Director also leads and develops teams, oversees the end-to-end customer journey, and uses operational data and customer feedback to drive continuous improvement and report results, risks, resource needs, and initiatives to leadership.

Requirements

7–10+ years of experience in payments operations, implementation, customer support, account management, or related customer-facing operational functions.
3–5+ years of leadership experience managing teams, developing operational processes, and executing strategic initiatives.
Demonstrated understanding of the payments customer lifecycle, including underwriting, onboarding, implementation, ongoing support, and account management.
Proven ability to build, develop, and scale teams to support current operational needs and future business growth.
Experience developing, documenting, implementing, and maintaining SOPs and standardized workflows.
Strong analytical skills, including experience establishing KPIs, evaluating performance, and using data to drive operational decisions.
Exceptional leadership, coaching, mentoring, and team-development capabilities.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and executive-level presentation skills.
Ability to manage complex customer relationships, escalations, and operational risks with professionalism and urgency.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously.
Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset and commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Partner with executive leadership to develop and execute the Foundation Pay strategy for 2027 and beyond.
Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, customer experience, retention, and product-line growth.
Establish, monitor, and report KPIs across underwriting, implementation, support, and account management.
Build and maintain a team structure that supports the current customer base and future scalability.
Lead, mentor, and develop teams, establishing clear roles, responsibilities, ownership, and accountability.
Evaluate staffing, training, and resource needs for business growth, operational demands, and scalability.
Align operational teams so customers move efficiently through underwriting, onboarding, implementation, support, and account management.
Develop, document, and maintain standardized operating procedures to improve consistency, streamline workflows, and increase operational visibility.
Identify process gaps, bottlenecks, and opportunities for automation, standardization, and cross-functional collaboration.
Oversee the end-to-end customer journey, ensuring effective communication, seamless handoffs, clear ownership, and a consistent experience.
Develop strategies to improve customer satisfaction, product adoption, engagement, and retention; build relationships with key customers and lead complex escalations.
Partner with the Education team to enhance product documentation, training materials, onboarding practices, and ongoing education for employees and customers.
Collaborate with Development and subject matter experts to identify product issues, communicate customer feedback, prioritize enhancements, and ensure product functionality meets customer and operational needs.
Serve as Foundation Pay's operational leader and subject matter expert, aligning priorities and initiatives with Sales, Development, Education, Support, and other stakeholders.
Use operational data, customer feedback, industry trends, and performance insights to drive continuous improvement and provide leadership with updates on results, risks, resource needs, and strategic initiatives.